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Actually, I carry my GPS in the field as it has sunrise and sunset info for my exact position AND has the exact time. I then set the alarm on my watch for four minutes before sunset and quit one minute before sunset.

not sure how it is in Tx but i go by the GA dnr sunrise/sunset tables that they put out. have had a few buddies of mine that have used the GPS times and have gotten in trouble for shooting 3 or 4mins after sunset the ga time zones are 4 mins apart so your GPS could be right but on paper you are not.

I usually bring my dog on opening day. Here in NC temps can be in the upper 90's or in the low 80's. I usually hunt in the shade and bring a cooler filled with ice and water. I also bring a dish towel that I soak in the ice water and drape over my dog's head after retrieves. The combination of lots of water to drink and the cold wet towel have always kept him relatively cool. He's 9 now and has never had a problem.

Weller's Tell It To The Judge MH (Justice)
Weller's Running With The Wind MH (Chase)
JD's In It Again MH (Trouble) 5/1/2009 - 1/3/2012

AZ dove opener =112-120 mid-day, but we start off at a nice 95+ degrees . I don't considered dove an Active upland bird, dogs don't actively hunt them like Quail-pheasant-chukar. They just pick them up, when they fall 50yards @ most. Despite what others will tell yah, I've always found dove perfect for a first hunting experience, everything's up close, on land and you can help . You Carry water, watch the dog, we usually setup under the shade of a tree, with a cooler, shoot them right before they try to sit in your tree, or if your napping after, sometimes the best shooting is right off the tail-gate. Still dog sits at heel, gets released, brings the bird back. Just be sure to setup away from idiots, so neither you or the dog gets shot. We do worry about snakes, but you set it up so the birds will fall in the open, and don't put you dog in the brush, snake-booster shots, training and I also always carry a gun . Still most the time for opener you kill 10 and get out of there before 8-9 AM cuz you don't want to be out their any later. IT'S HOT people always complain way more than dogs .

I stand corrected on the shooting hours for migratory birds. I'm also reminded of the rudeness some people have and how anal lots of folks here are about "rules and regulations". Not to say rules aren't important, but some people are just anal about things. I know for a fact that the game warden where I hunt, who is a personal friend as well, wouldn't fine someone for shooting 4 minutes after "official sunset" times. Guess there are some that would though.

Have another friend who just got into training his own dog about a year ago. I advised him to get on this forum because of the wealth of knowledge here. Talked to him about a month ago and mentioned I hadn't seen nor heard from him on RTF in quite a while. He told me he didn't come here anymore because a person had been rude and very condescending to him. I read the posts he was referring to. Seems some people just make being rude a habit.

Nevertheless, I'll be sure the guns are up at sunset. Thanks for the correction guys.

I stand corrected on the shooting hours for migratory birds. I'm also reminded of the rudeness some people have and how anal lots of folks here are about "rules and regulations". Not to say rules aren't important, but some people are just anal about things. I know for a fact that the game warden where I hunt, who is a personal friend as well, wouldn't fine someone for shooting 4 minutes after "official sunset" times. Guess there are some that would though.

Have another friend who just got into training his own dog about a year ago. I advised him to get on this forum because of the wealth of knowledge here. Talked to him about a month ago and mentioned I hadn't seen nor heard from him on RTF in quite a while. He told me he didn't come here anymore because a person had been rude and very condescending to him. I read the posts he was referring to. Seems some people just make being rude a habit.

Nevertheless, I'll be sure the guns are up at sunset. Thanks for the correction guys.

I am glad that you followed up and now are aware of the laws. When it comes to birds in general, state law usually has to follow federal law. Nonmigratory birds MAY only be under the jurisdiction of the state so you may be able to hunt quail and turkeys for instance until 30 minutes after sunset. It seems that many folks don't realize that all migratory birds come under the jurisdiction of federal law, almost always making it illegal to kill any migratory bird except game birds during specified seasons. In Texas virtually ALL birds with a very few exceptions (house sparrows, pigeons, starlings, and eurasian collared dove are the only ones I'm sure of) are protected by either state or federal law, so think twice before you shoot that grackle for "fun".

Last edited by HPL; 08-29-2013 at 03:14 PM.

Any doctrine that weakens personal responsibility for judgment and for action helps create the attitudes that welcome and support the totalitarian state.
(John Dewey)

Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
(George Washington)

I suppose this was aimed at me, but I would say that my first attempt to let you know that you were in danger of being ticketed was met with an incorrect correction. You're right, I am VERY picky about game laws. I try very hard to know them and not to cheat or fudge. It's not about fearing a ticket for me. I mostly hunt alone on private property and seldom see a game warden and when I do I will probably know him as I have lived here for 35 years and it's a small town. For me it's about personal values and responsibility. When I sign up to play a game, that means that I agree to play by the rules. If I sit by a pond for two hours and don's see a bird and then just 20 seconds after official sunset they start coming in by the dozen, I just sit and say "isn't that the way it goes?". I don't say, "well, what will it hurt to shoot a few for the dog." When folks hunt with me, they better have the same attitude.

I am glad that you followed up and now are aware of the laws. When it comes to birds in general, state law usually has to follow federal law. Nonmigratory birds MAY only be under the jurisdiction of the state so you may be able to hunt quail and turkeys for instance until 30 minutes after sunset. It seems that many folks don't realize that all migratory birds come under the jurisdiction of federal law almost always making it illegal to kill any migratory bird except game birds during specified seasons. In Texas virtually ALL birds with a very few exceptions (house sparrows, pigeons, and eurasian collared dove are the only one I'm sure of) are protected by either state or federal law, so think twice before you shoot that grackle for "fun".

A simple, "Hey bud, better re-check the manual" would have sufficed. Instead, because a guy misread the manual, he's a "slob hunter" with poor values. I do appreciate bringing it to my attention though.

Have another friend who just got into training his own dog about a year ago. I advised him to get on this forum because of the wealth of knowledge here. Talked to him about a month ago and mentioned I hadn't seen nor heard from him on RTF in quite a while. He told me he didn't come here anymore because a person had been rude and very condescending to him. I read the posts he was referring to. Seems some people just make being rude a habit.

Not talking about your friend here, but the flip side of that is the number of folks who ask questions for the sole purpose of getting confirmation that what they want to do when it is OK. I thought I was reasonably intelligent until I started trying to learn this (*$&$%*& dog training stuff. Sometimes folks are matter of fact - mostly because they care deeply about the dogs - and get called rude because the answer was not what the questioner wanted to hear. I have one friend who consistently gives me what he calls "thoughts and ideas" in response to my questions, and I take them like the gospel. And they are not always what I want to hear.

Again, not talking about your friend here, just making a general observation.

Not talking about your friend here, but the flip side of that is the number of folks who ask questions for the sole purpose of getting confirmation that what they want to do when it is OK. I thought I was reasonably intelligent until I started trying to learn this (*$&$%*& dog training stuff. Sometimes folks are matter of fact - mostly because they care deeply about the dogs - and get called rude because the answer was not what the questioner wanted to hear. I have one friend who consistently gives me what he calls "thoughts and ideas" in response to my questions, and I take them like the gospel. And they are not always what I want to hear.

Again, not talking about your friend here, just making a general observation.

Absolutely, and I agree with you. But it's not what I'm talking about. It's just a common lesson that I think most people have learned, but just forgotten. It's not about "what" you say to someone, but "how" you say it. Like I said in this situation, and I've got plenty of thick skin, but a simple, "hey bud, re-check your manual" would have accomplished the same thing. Instead, it became an indictment on my "values" and level of "responsibility", and being portrayed as the guy that would say, "hey, it's after sunset, but I'll just shoot a few for the dog".

Now, I'm not going to leave RTF. But I can see how attitudes and reactions like that send new people and new trainers a chilling effect for this forum. I don't mind being corrected, just don't be an ass about it is my point. If a professional trainer pointed something out to me that I was doing wrong, he'd get a much better response by saying, "look, try this, and here's why....." instead of, "hey man, what kind of man are you for doing it this way....", and questioning my character. I don't care how long someone has been hunting doves, but I don't even let my dad talk to me that way.

A simple, "Hey bud, better re-check the manual" would have sufficed. Instead, because a guy misread the manual, he's a "slob hunter" with poor values. I do appreciate bringing it to my attention though.

Well, that's sort of what my first attempt said. Since the reg has been Sunset for many years and you sounded like you've been doing this for years, and since you didn't take the hint the first time.................

Any doctrine that weakens personal responsibility for judgment and for action helps create the attitudes that welcome and support the totalitarian state.
(John Dewey)

Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.
(George Washington)

Well, that's sort of what my first attempt said. Since the reg has been Sunset for many years and you sounded like you've been doing this for years, and since you didn't take the hint the first time.................

.......gives you license to be a jerk. Got it. Ok, understood buddy. It's obvious through your comments, and your tag lines, that you hold your own character in the highest rafters of history, along with Dewey and Washington. I'm sure you've never done anything wrong or misread anything before. Thanks for maintaining the standards here at RTF. Maybe one day my values will be good enough to hunt with guys like you....